Would you do Plummer, Bell and No. 21 for the eighth pick?

Thanks to Eugene for sending this trade rumor along. I’d heard a slightly different version of the same deal. I like this one better. The Texans would send the eighth pick of the draft to the Broncos for Jake Plummer, Tatum Bell and the 21st pick.

Would you do it? I’m leaning ever so slightly against it. In other words, I could flip-flop. In arguing against it, the No. 8 pick ought to be an impact player. Maybe it won’t be Adrian Peterson, but if the Texans can’t get a future Pro Bowler at that spot, they’re not doing their job. If the Texans have a good season, they’re not going to be picking in the Top 10 for a good long while.

Plummer is nothing more than a temporary solution. The Texans ought to be able to get him for a fourth- or fifth-round pick. I like Jake Plummer and the fact that Kubiak is comfortable with him. I’d be just as comfortable with Sage Rosenfels. To me, Plummer is irrelevant in this trade.

Bell has shown flashes of being good, but he’s not the home-run hitter the Texans would like to have back there. One point in favor of doing the deal is that GM Rick Smith might feel there’s not a significant drop between the eighth and 21st picks. He might still get one of the people he wants and pick up starters at two other spots.

• • •

Our sports department secretary, Terry Hayes, has a story to tell. She’s single and 40 years old. She has a cat and lives with her sister. Oh yes, one other thing. She’s dying of cancer. She’s telling her story in a Chronicle blog called CancerDiva.

• • •

Brandon Backe is throwing hard and pain-free a few months after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Watching his sessions the last two days in Kissimmee leads me to believe he may reach his goal of making 5-10 starts this season.

”No pain,” he said. ”It has been so long since I felt this good, I pretty much had forgotten.”

He’s throwing from a flat surface at the moment. He hopes to move to a mound in a couple of weeks and believes he’ll be pitching in games sometime in June. That’s an amibitious schedule, but he’s a tough kid.

His right elbow got progressively worse over the last few years. He remembers driving home after pitching in the 2005 World Series and his elbow was so sore he couldn’t keep it on the steering wheel. He now realizes his elbow ligament was already torn, but he kept going.

Early last season, he tore the ligament 50-60 percent off the bone in his elbow. Yet he kept going, hoping rest and rehab would allow him to continue and pitch the rest of the season. Amazingly, he allowed 2 runs in 7 innings in his final start of the season, but the pain had become unbearable.

He’s an amazing story. Star high school quarterback. Drafted as an outfielder by Tampa Bay. Converted to pitcher. And when the Devil Rays gave up on him, he ended up pitching for his hometown team. He’s one of those guys who makes it easy to root for the Astros.

Jason Lane is like that, too. He and Chris Burke were the first position players to arrive. Charlton Jimerson is here, too, determined to play his way onto the roster. Stay tuned.

• • •

ESPN’s Colin Cowherd knows almost nothing about Norv Turner. He talked about him anyway during his Tuesday show. He shouldn’t have. Instead of admitting he knew nothing, he did what I sometimes do in these situations. He faked it. He made fun of the way Norv pronounced certain words.

He should at least have telephoned someone with knowledge of Norv and asked for some advice. If he had, he wouldn’t have sounded so stupid.

Yes, there are legitimate questions about Norv’s head coaching abilities. His speech patterns aren’t a problem. Norv wasn’t a stickler for discipline during his stints in Washington and Oakland. However, he would point out that his teams had relentelessly tough practices. They were very good at not turning the ball over and not getting penalized.

He didn’t fail at those jobs because he couldn’t pronounce ”opportunity.” He failed because of men named Charley Casserly and Al Davis. This job is different from those jobs.

I don’t think he would have been the right man for the Dallas Cowboys and their loose organizational structure. In San Diego, though, where there’s a great general manager and a very good team, he might be the perfect man for the job. Not that Colin would know.

• • •

I don’t know that there’s another big league player who has fallen so far so fast as Miguel Tejada. It wasn’t that long ago that he was considered one of those special players a franchise could be built around. Then came declining production and allegations of steroid use. He’s attempting to rehabilitate his image this spring. Tejada arrived at Baltimore’s camp Monday, beaming, boisterous, slimmer yet stronger and promising he has changed. “I’m going to be totally different,” Tejada said. “I’m going to be more on time. I don’t want to say that I’m not on time. But I’m going to be one of the first ones. I’m not going to say I’m going to be the first one, but every day I’m going to be one of the first ones to get to the field. I’m hungry to win. And I’m going to try to do everything I can to make this team win. . . . Something has to change because I haven’t won the last three years.”

• • •

Barry Bonds is going to become baseball’s all-time home run king this summer, and we’d all better learn to deal with it. I don’t know how Bud Selig is going to recognize the moment. He’s in a tough spot. Should he ignore Bonds? Should he pretend Bonds is David Ortiz and celebrate accordingly?

As for Bonds, he’s in camp with the Giants. Does he plan to address allegations that he blamed a substance he took from Mark Sweeney’s locker for a failed amphetamine test? Stabbing a teammate in the back is a big deal.

“Knowing Barry, I don’t think he’s going to,” shortstop Omar Vizquel said. “Maybe it’s going to be a situation where we’re having a team meeting and he might stress it. He’s not the kind of guy who’s going to come in and say, ‘Hey, I want to call a meeting to apologize to everybody.’ I think he realizes he made a mistake. He apologized publicly, and I think he’ll move on from that.”

88 Responses

You’re right about Backe .. that’s a story that’s a joy to read, unlike most here that make me want to heave monkey … at my screen. I mean, the guy’s making $575K this season to rehab and you’d think he signed a multi-year, high-$$ contract. Only last year, we had a revered slugger who made $17M last year to kick back in San Diego and fish. He didn’t even show up often, but when he did it was like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. I got so sick of hearing the media re-tell the tortured-soul-of-Jeff Bagwell stories that I wanted to puke. Guys like Backe remind me why I love baseball — unfortunately, for every one of him there are two Miguel Tejada’s (aren’t we lucky we didn’t snag him) and Juan Gonzalez’.

I hope Backe can get back, he has been a pretty good pitcher in the postseason. But I am suspect about him returning so soon, I hope he does not end up like Woods and Prior always saying they are close to be back and then right back to IR.

Maybe Selig should call Jeff Gillooly to take care of that knee of Bonds.

Richard – Getting Brandon Backe this year, if even for just 2-3 months, is a huge lift for this Astros team. There are more questions than answers right now about the bottom of their starting rotation, and getting 10-12 starts out of Backe would be a big help. However, I would rather he spend the summer getting healthy rather than go out there, not quite 100% and risk a permanent career ending injury.

I just wanted to add: I couldn’t agree with you more regarding the value of both Everett and Ausmus to this club. Look, I would love to have more offense out of these two positions, but they are easily two of the best in the game defensively at their positions. Making change only for the sake of change isn’t productive, it’s normally just the opposite – counterproductive. If these two were marginal defensively, then the trade-off would be easy. It would be easy to replace them, if only for the added offense. But they aren’t marginal defensively, they’re arguably the best at what they do. So yes, I to would love to have more offense coming from these two spots in the linuep, who wouldn’t? So should the rest of the lineup hit the way it will be expected to, no one will even notice how the bottom fares this year!

Bud’s stuck with Barry. I don’t see how he has any choice but to honor Bonds, for baseball’s sake. If Bud somehow stiffs Bonds, that’s what will be remembered, moreso than Bonds’ cavalier attitude toward the game, the rules and the fans. Give him a nice short ceremony, finish the game and turn Bonds’ legacy over to the BBWA. Bud will be off the hook for anything else and we can all get on with life. The Bonds Saga is never going away, but Bud needs to do everything he can to minimize its effects on the game.

If I could mold a baseball player from scratch he would have the talent of Barry Bonds and the attitude of Brandon Backe. And he would be more on time. I don’t want to say that he’s not on time. But he would be one of the first ones. I’m not going to say he’s going to be the first one, but every day he would be one of the first ones to get to the field.

It sure would be great to see backe in the rotation later this year. “IF” Clemens returns and Backe is healthy, we would have arguably the 2nd best staff in baseball (Don’t think anyone will touch the Red Sox rotation this year).

RJ, honestly, what are the chances that Lane and Jimerson make this team? I have already counted them out. Lane can’t hit and Jimerson either hits or strikes out. Neither of these guys would improve this team. I would rather see Pence and Scott compete for starting spots along side Burke and Lee.

Hard not to root for a person who has the character that Backe has. He still has two of the best starts I’ve ever seen from an Astro pitcher in the playoffs (who could ever forget Game 5 vs. the Cards). If he can make it back for the stretch run then The Stros will be very tough to beat in August and September, generally their two best months of the season.

I really hope they don’t push Backe to hard. This is the exact thing that ends careers to early. He is always fun to whatch, even if he isn’t pitching. His emotions are great.

As for Ausmus, he is great, but he has regressed as he had gotten older. I don’t expect this year to be any different. What happened to bring in a new young cather to back him up this year? I’m pretty sure we all agreed that was a must for the offseason and it didn’t happen!!! I hope Everett hits this year: having the 7,8,9 all hit below .220 will kill us again this year regardless how well the rest of the lineup is.

i’ve recently moved to fort worth and i have a question for people in this area. are any astros games shown on the fsn channel up here? or would i be better off getting the games on the internet? thanks

If he’s a quality, reliable #3-4 pitcher, you don’t want 6 trips to the DL with him. Be completely ready, then comeback and contribute strongly. We can get bad starts from bad pitchers, we don’t need them from guys we’re counting on. Also, we don’t need the constant setbacks that pitchers who rush back almost always seem to have.

Where’s Tonya Harding at when you need her and her crowbar to take out Bonds’ knee? The fact that he knows he cheated and still wants to break that record makes just gets me ticked off. Aaron will always be the record holder in my mind and one day, when my kids ask me who Barry was, I’ll just respound, “A nobody who cheated to put HIMSELF infront of his team and other well deserving people”

Why celebrate a cheater? Bud should put a huge asterick beside that record.

I’m giddy about the idea of getting Backe back down the stretch. If he’s healthy, and he has that inimitable fire in his eyes, he could very well be the difference between the golf and the Wild Card, and even the difference between Wild Card and Central Champs.

Josh, I believe FSN carries at least some of the games there. As far the internet and MLB.TV, don’t waste your money on it because Astros games are blacked out in all of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. They may not tell you that and take your money, but they will be blacked out.

Backe is 100% baseball, 100% Astro and deserves all the credit in the world for working so hard to come back quickly and safely.

He is a guy the whole city will get behind. I loved watchign him pitch, even more so, I loved wathing him in the dug out. He puts on a show. He has a little leaguers heart and a big leaguers work ethic.

Wow. A lot of violence directed at Bonds. Maybe it’s borne out of the resentment that he can pronounce the word “asterisk” correctly. Okay, he may have cheated but calm down people. First of all, I don’t know that. I, personally, am not going to watch the game in which he breaks the record but I didn’t hear any calls to hunt down McGwire after his testemony. I might be okay with that, after all, Mark McGwire is the most dangerous game.

Brandon Backe is awesome. He shouldn’t take any risks. I’d rather have a healthy Backe later than another Wade Miller now. (Not a knock on Wade Miller, I miss him.)

Josh, I used to live in Dallas. We would sometimes get Astros games on FSN, but 90% of time time they were showing the Rangers. If you’re the type of fan that likes to see all the games, I’d explore other options with expanded cable sports packages etc.

I really hope Lane & Ensberg bounce back. They’re good guys, and they work really hard. However, there’s really no room for Lane, so he’ll have to be a pinch hitter if he makes the roster unless Luke Scott starts slipping.

Reading your post about Cowherd’s blasting of Norv Turner and the mention of Charlie Casserly made me want to ask you, is it just me or was just about everyone praising Casserly as a steal for the Texans back in 2002? Let me be clear, I’m no Casserly fan. He’s basically set us back several years. But I can’t help but remember back in 2002 everyone, media included, was singing this guy’s praises like he was the 2nd coming. I just remember listening to talk radio and hearing the on air personalities praise his track record as an NFL executive. I think after all this time it’s plain to see that Casserly is not what we hoped he’d be. But what I can’t understand is why his track record pre-Texans was praised pre-2002, but now it’s widely being regarded as trash? What’s the real story?

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You are right. I defended the guy way too long. I changed my mind about him, not because of his personnel decisions, which were terrible, but because of the way he began criticizing Dom Capers in conversations with reporters to save his own job. I was wrong, wrong, wrong to defend him so long.–RJ

In your paragraph about the Chargers(my favorite team since I was in 5th grade) you said that the GM was “great.” The question I have is how can I agree with you when A.J. Smith and other GMs are stealing jobs that used to belong to coaches? I have heard that coaches in San Diego have little say in who gets drafted, re-signed and cut. Have coaches responcibilities decreased with more powerful GMs? Sorry if this is an elemetary sports question.

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He has done a tremendous job with a classically constructed front office. Once upon a time, general managers picked the players and coaches coached them. There were exceptions, like Don Shula and Vince Lombardi. In recent years, coaches have had more and more say. Coaches like Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells have all the say. In San Diego, though, the GM is the boss.–RJ

We need to shut Backe down for the whole year. Case in point, Carlos Hernandez. Could’ve been a great pitcher but he came back way too soon in my opinion. We should’ve shut him down for at least two seasons. Backe is young and he’ll recover well. Please don’t repeat the Carlos Hernandez scenario again!

If they could pull off the trade you have proposed, I would be all for it. Tatum Bell would instantly help this team. Plummer/Rosenfels? Whoever wins the job in camp sound good to me. Do the Texans look at Rosenfels as a future starter though? Aaron Ross would be nice with the 21st pick. Rick Smith definitely looks like a sharp GM. Unlike that boob Casserly. I would consider this progress.

When it came time to sack up and do something, Brandon Backe said “give me the ball” and he took care of business. I’m glad he’s on our side, and I hope he can temper his enthusiasm with caution so we get a healthy guy when the time comes, whether it’s this year or next.

RJ, can’t we get this guy a column? If his brain works half as well as his heart, I’ll be there every day to read his takes.

I agree with you that the Texans Broncos deal is probably not a good idea.

Plummer is going to be released if he is not traded so to me the deal is essentially Tatum Bell and the 21st pick for the number 8 pick. Is Tatum Bell worth dropping 13 spots? Probably not. If the Broncos throw in another first day pick or a first rounder next year then that might be enough. Short of that, the Texans should say no.

How can that be possible? Is there that big a drop from 8 to 21 and does Bell have a broken leg or knee?

Perhaps we will get Plummer anyway.

Sounds like the Texans are in a good negotiating position to me.

I do not see the hurry, Smith will probably get a better deal using Carr in the trade or after a free agent signing. Keep Carr until just before the draft or until someone pays what it cost us to train him. He is only 28 and I watched Grossman and Tony Romo and a few other QB’s whom would have caved under the pounding Carr has taken in the first season.

BACK TO BASEBALL: Rocket fills the seats. But I enjoy watching Backe pitch more than almost anyone I can think of since Mark the Bird Fydrich sp?

It is fun to watch the stros transition to younger men playing boys game with a smile and enthusiasm. Bring it Carlos the bat and the smile.

I’ve noticed at least up until tonight, the Chronicle is staying out of the trade rumors.

Good, keep out of it. Let the Denver press get the egg on their face.

Prediction: Plummer will be the quarterback next year. He’ll throw the same amount of interceptions and fumble as much as DC does and he’ll find outthat a terrible OLine will make a 33 year old QB feel 40 rather quickly.

DC will be traded to Minnesota and will have the best year of his career leading the Vikings to 2nd place in the NL Central and a wildcard spot right after the Bears.

Speaking of QBs, the talk of Brady Quinn/Kolb/Troy Smith is sickening. . .

give me a Jared Zabransky (Boise State ) or John Beck (BYU) or Chad Henne ( Michigan ). The way I figure it you either get the next Jim McMahon and a few hot seasons, the next Steve Young or a possible Tom Brady. Probably get anyone of those guys in the lower rounds. . .

Transplanted Houstonian currently in Dallas. I have Dish Network and more than 50% of the games are on FSN “Alternate” stations that are available on Dish. They are described as Regional Sports Alternate stations but they are standard with Dish Network and they show the Astros most of the time here in Dallas (even when the Rangers are on the regular FSN station). Its greatness, get Dish and thank me later.

I would not do the trade at all. We are not close to being a good team and we need all the impact players we can get for the very near future. Plummer and Bell are not part of this team’s future and will not be with the team in two years. This leaves us with only the #21 pick who is not likely to be an impact player. IOW, this would be a horrible trade two years from now. I am hoping that Rick Smith does not continue taking all of the Denver cast offs. Except as UFAs.

I’d pull the trigger on that trade in a heartbeat. Tatum Bell could be a homerun hitter, he’s one of the five fastest backs in the game. Denver seemed to want to pound him between the tackles behind a mediocre o-line.

I watched a lot of Denver’s games the year they made it to the AFC Championship, and I think Plummer and Bell were there two best players that year, and Kubiak had that offense clicking before Pitt hammered them.

I also disagree about Plummer being meaningless in this trade/ Are you nuts Justice? If you’re willing to part ways with a guy who three years ago was your franchise, mostly on the say-so of a new coach who wants Plummer as the triggerman of his offense, that’s not meaningless. If Plummer puts up similar numbers in Texas to what he put up in Denver I think anyone would take that.

In short, adding a scrambling quarterback and speedy running back and moving down the draft order a small margin? No brainer, look back through history, and often times the better players are taken in the 20s than in the top 10.

I just can’t believe that MLB will allow this travesty, Steroid Barry replacing Hammering Hank Aaron as the home run king. Aaron had to endure death threats and racist taunts when he broke the record. It took a lot of character to do what he did. Barry Bonds doesn’t have the character that rubbed off on Hank Aaron’s jersey.

Not only could Aaron hit for average and hit for power, he was a gifted outfielder, and a threat to steal on the base paths in his younger years. He was a complete ballplayer, and he broke the record by being talented.

Not only should Lane automatically report to camp before anyone but he should have sandwiches made for the real players when they arrive. He should also send rodge a video of him hitting dingers in batting practice that is spliced with game tape to make rodge think he does these things in actual games, and that purpura might actually have a back up plan if Scott doesnt pan out. He will though, LS is the man, Pdummy should have stuck with him longer when he came up. How does Lane get like 19 months of chances and LS got 2. And for that matter are you telling me we couldnt find a way to keep Willy T, offer Lane and something/sombody instead? Jimerson better be good when he gets to the pros in a decade or so.

God, how funny would that be if the Texans actually went for that deal. It would be quite amusing, to laugh at a distance as the franchise continues to strive for mediocrity. I don’t think McNair would find it all that funny, though.

I, myself, am no expert on Norv Turner, but it is clear that he has had great success as an offensive coordinator EVERYWHERE. He has failed in coaching situations (Davis and Snyder) where EVERYONE has failed over the past decade. Give the guy a chance and go LT!

I agree that ESPN’s Colin Cowherd is no expert either and is an idiot on more topics than just Norv. As you pointed out, and confessed to, he is he is more the rule than the exception in the sports business. Can you imagine Brokaw or Jennings or Lehrer just faking something they didn’t know about? Quite frankly, what sports reporting needs is more real journalists and fewer empty talking heads.

Having said that, who do you rate as the top five sports journalists in the game today?

I like the trade proposal. You state the case for an impact player. Definition, please? A starting QB and a starting RB are two players the Texans need, and both Plummer and Bell would IMPACT the immediate needs.

Texans would be stupid to make that trade, if its temporary, why not give Sage a chance? Looked good in Miami and against the Titans. Tatum Bell is crap, Plummer is not a major up grade over Carr. Come on RJ dont let that deal happen.

The trade? I highly doubt it. Plummer’s trade value can’t be that high, and Tatum Bell has been a disappointment. Now if the Broncos threw in another pick (like 3rd round this year, or second round next year), it would be something to consider.

I don’t do the deal. Basically it comes down to trading our 8th for the 21st for Bell. You could have Plummer in free agency. Bell might be OK but I’d rather take the chance on a “best talent” guy at 8. However if Denver were to add a 2nd round and another pick, say 4-6 I’d do it. Denver wants a playmaker for their offense. They NEED a playmaker and I believe they are motivated to deal. Let’s see if they are willing to work.

A week or so ago, you wrote how good Dan Patrick’s radio show is- Colin Cowherd is at the opposite and of the spectrum. I listened to him for three or four days. He says things purely for shock value, he’ll have a strong opinion one day and completely contradict himself the next. The day after Kirby Pucket died he went on the air and spoke about what a bad guy Kirby was, and then for the next two hours defended his position of blasting a guy who died the day before. I don’t know why ESPN radio has him on, but I wouldn’t listen to him if you paid me.

Glad you called out Cowherd. He really hurts ESPN Radio. He recently said that coaching the Colts is like coaching UT — no scrutiny from the local media. Obviously he wasn’t here when UT was losing to Oklahoma every year.

I have only one word to say to Gary Kubiak and Rick Smith concerning the Plummer/Bell/21st trade. I need their completer attention ok here it is NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That would be the dumbest move this franchise has ever made. To say that there are no impact players in this draft is absurd and I hope that Kubiak can stand up to his daddy Shanahan and tell him to get lost with that garbage deal. Because thats what it is, Denver gets to dump two B grade players on us for basically nothing. I emplore you Texans, please don’t make this deal.

A swap of #8 for #21 might mean some talent disparity, but you get 1.5 proven NFL starters in return, plus the #21 pick. I agree Jake’s not the guy long term, but he fills an immediate need. Bell is in the early stages of his career and has shown flashes.

I still say all this is moot- the new regime will trade down and start to stockpile picks like the smart teams do. Slow and steady wins the race.

Cowherd has gotten more full of himself each day, and is almost impossible to listen to any more. Wonder how much longer he will last? Are his ratings hanging in there?

No, I would not do the trade, unless you are happy being Broncos Jr. for the next 3 to 4 years. Trades like that are how the rich get richer, and remind me of Clinton Portis for Champ Bailey. A running back can’t put you in the playoffs without a QB and line, but a (perhaps the only) shut down corner can come close. Trades like that remind me of why coaches like Parcells, who prefer “their guys” to taking a chance on finding a star, always find a way to be self-limiting in the end. I hope our staff will learn to get off the Denver … and stand on their own two feet like men. Trade down for multiple picks, and find a future star! Man up and and take anyone but Brady Quinn. Throw in Carr and move up for Joe Thomas!

You make that trade yesterday. Upgrades at both positions and A.P. won’t be there at #8 barring a 4.8 40 time at his personal workout. Mock drafts have Houston taking an O or a D Lineman. The Lions at #2 are getting the only impact Lineman in the draft so the difference between 8 and 21 is negligible. If Carr can be traded before the draft you turn that pick over to the Raiders for Randy Moss.

I would do it. I have a feeling once you get Brady Quinn away from his amazing coach and WR he is going to become another David Carr. Texans missed their chance to get an impact RC QB last season. They should go for a veteran and pick a QB in the later rounds to groom for the future… Unless they can pick up a veteran and still pick up Quinn in the first round. With a couple years of back up time he may be good.

If the Texan trade ever was to happen, it just makes me wonder whose payroll Kubiak and Smith are on. A good deal for Denver and a bad one for us. If Bell is so good, then why is Denver wanting to move him. We know that Plummer is just DC all over again. Who is the eighth pick that Denver wants? Why do they want Carr and his high salary to back up Cutler? They would just pass him to someone else for a draft pick. We can do that and still keep our pick.

Do we really think that Bell is an upgrade over Davis/Williams, Dayne or Lundy?

Plummer is going to be released from all accounts. If we’re going to get him, why not wait & just pick him up after he’s released. The #8 pick should be an instant impact & the the #21 pick will likely not be able to provide the same instant improvement.(that’s why one is 8 & one is 21).

We need to take our pick & get a hog! O-line/D-line! Someone who can put pressure on their QB or relieve pressure from our QB.

first the baby jags now the baby broncs?? come on htown, even if we went 7-9 with the snake and tatem tot who would really care..we’d have an even more boring version of an extremely boring team to watch..good looking out for your boy shanahan, you know this garbage deal is probably the best were gonna get…lets turn this spot into denver’s landfill, am i right guys? huh..anybody

The Texans would be stupid to take the deal, and the Broncos would laugh all the way to another title. Are you kidding me? Plummer would be cut anyway, and you’d be giving up the number 8 for Tatum Bell and the 21st pick. Domanick Williams and Chris Taylor are at LEAST as good as Tatum Bell. The Broncos want to do this deal to UPGRADE their RB spot by taking Peterson or Lynch. Why would we take another 2nd string running back and pass on a franchise back? stupid, stupid…and you won’t see it happen.

I agree with the Kubiak and Smith being on a supplementary Bronco payroll. Another average running back for our stable of journeyman toters to go behind our below-average offensive line- MAN that’s progress. Plummer will do no better with the current Texan talent surrounding him. He will be the AZ Cardinal version of Jake the Fake. Get more talent around D.C. and give him one more year to do something beside chuck the ball to A.J. Try to pick up Plummer on release or give Rosenfels a chance if D.C. falters again. Pick up Lynch for a running back with many talents, add more OL/DL in next few rounds and consider Kolb if he is around round 3 or 4.

Go forward with this team. Carr had a good year with a healthy Davis at RB and they went 7-9. Plummer takes them back to 5-11 or 4-12. When does the Texan emblem wear off these helmets and a oil derrick remain. You wonder what this team is thinking sometimes.

actually richard a home-run hitter is exactly what Tatum Bell is, unfortunately thats all he is…hes good for 5 or 6 huge touchdown runs every year but is not consistent, fumbles a lot, and gets hurt all the time…I’m a broncos fan and i very much hope the Texans do make that deal.

you say plummer is temporary. if so who will replace him? how long is temporary? if plummer is the qb next year he is the qb for the next five. there is no one else. the texans passed up their opportunity for a future qb last year.

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I think they’ll draft a quarterback to groom for the position. Maybe they’re going to fall in love and take Brady Quinn. Maybe it’ll be someone later, Kevin Kolb, for instance. I can’t imagine Plummer is more than a two- or three-year guy. This sounds strange considering how many mistakes the franchise has made, but if Gary Kubiak likes the guy, that’s good enough for me. I think he and Rick Smith are going to get the thing fixed.–RJ

Texans should make the trade. They might not be “impact” players, but you get stability and better at 2 skill positions. In the free agency era of the NFL, as the Saints demonstrated last season, the skill level between teams is very small. Coaching and stability (Drew Brees brought that for the Saints) can have a quick impact on a team.

Plummer is an upgrade over Carr. We know what to expect from Plummer, he’s already developed. We don’t have to guess like we do with Carr “One more year and he’ll really bloom”.

Plummer gives us mobility, avoids stupid sacks, can keep blown plays alive, and masks the problems of poor o-lines. He can give the o-line confidence as it develops. Look what Romo did with the cowboys. The boys had a HORRIBLE o-line and it left bledsoe exposed. Defenses keyed on him, and it got so bad that my 3yr old nephew could have sacked Bledsoe. Insert Romo, and his MOBILITY and the offense was much better and you started hearing that the o-line was starting to gel and all that garbage. Nope the boys o-line still stunk.

This is the case with the Texans. Plummer would make everyone on the o-line look better. Texans need a young OL to develop, and that can be obtained at the 21st pick. You’re not giving up 2 1st rounders for Joey Galloway like Jerry Jones did back in the day.

Some of the Astros games are on FSN. But as an Astros fan living in Dallas it sure as hell is not enough. I am thinking about getting that baseball thing on the internet so I can watch every game. I hope you like Dallas teams other wise you will hate the media here.

I think the Texans should not give up the 8 spot unless they can trade down and get more picks. Then, parley one of the other picks into a deal for Plummer. If Carr is only worth a middle round pick in a deal, Plummer isn’t worth more than a 2nd or 3rd round choice.

I do not think the Texans will take an offensive skill position player with their first round choice. The coaches think they have a system that makes regular players look great, and they rely on “finding” great skill players in later rounds. Terrell Davis was the real reason the Broncos won two Super Bowls; Elway was fading fast. And the Broncos found Davis in the fifth round of the draft.

With D.C., the Texans avg’d 17 pts/game and less than 200 passing yards/game. With J.P., the Broncos avg’d…17 pts./game and less than 200 passing yards/game. Who had a better supporting cast around him? How is this a good move? Another avg./inconsistent RB in Bell and we go down in the first round of the draft?! Please tell me that The Eagles band going on tour is a more valid rumor that this blunder. Do you think Marshawn Lynch running and taking catches out of the backfield could help DC have more options and even confidence? Roger Craig sure did it for the Niners.

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It’s a good move in that Jake Plummer is better than David Carr. How much better and who else might be available would be the key questions.–RJ

Dallas is due to territorial restrictions. I live in Shreveport, LA., and the only time the Astros are on FSN-southwest is when there is not a conflict with a Rangers game. I switched to Direct TV, and can get FSN-Houston, which is probably also available on Dish Network.

If Plummer is only a 2 or 3 year guy, then I bet the Texans take him. Remember, this is the NFL, where average coaches keep their jobs for four years, and only very good ones keep their jobs longer. Kubiak would be taking a huge risk by not getting the QB position fixed right now.

Long term plans are for owners, and sometimes GMs. Coaches need to win very, very soon. Houston is in too tough of a division for Kubiak to commit to the long view at QB. As said before, the time to draft a top-rated QB prospect was last year. This year, they need to get a QB that’s more ready to play right out of the box.

Think I’m being too certain? Houston is in the same division as the Superbowl champion, the most improved team in the NFL (Tennessee), and another good team (the Jaguars). Another 6 – 10 record is very possible. How much popularity and credibility would Kubiak retain then?

Sorry John M. if I mispelled not mispronounced the word asterisk, a masters in accounting doesnt really have anything to do with spelling rarely used words, and the reason for the hatred directed towards Bonds is mainly because of the person he is and what he has done to cheat one of the greatest records in baseball away from a person that went through hell getting it. Aaron was wrongly hated because of the color of his skin, Bonds is hated because he cheated, plain and simple. Aaron deserved, and still deserves, the record, Bonds doesnt. I dont care about McGwire, he got his slap in the face by not making the Hall, Bonds hopefully still has his coming. Maybe he’ll pull a hammy running to catch a ball in the outfield. Wait, he doesnt hustle anymore so thats not going to happen.

I wrote “pronounced” because I assume you pronounce it like you wrote it. It’s a common mispronunciation. It’s not a rarely used word and I’m sure you use it all the time, especially because you have this vendetta against Bonds. It’s a pet peeve of mine, along with the misuse of your-you’re and the tendency to throw apostrophes before “s” for no apparent reason.

I know it’s very popular to claim Bonds is a cheater but there is no proof of it yet, and either way, wanting to inflict physical harm on someone because you assume they cheated in sports is pretty immature. Hank Aaron was a great player and had to put up with a lot of …. but I don’t see how that translates into breaking Bonds’ knee.

Plus, if you just assume Bonds cheated, you also have to assume others cheated as well, including Bagwell. Because I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, I’ll do the same for Bonds.

Just so you know, I don’t want him to break the record either. He’s got a horrible personality and is a bad spokesman for the sport. I’d rather see a good guy break it if anyone is going to.

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There’s actually a mountain of evidence that Bonds used steroids. You’d have to believe in the tooth fairy to think Bonds didn’t cheat.–RJ

Wow am I glad to be a Bronco fan and not a Houston fan. In the swap, you’re getting a qb that’s 40-18 in the past 3 1/2 yrs with Denver. Do you know how many years it would take D.C. to get to 40 wins? Jake Plummer is a huge upgrade. Tatum Bell has rushed for 1,000 yrd two years in a row in a 2 back system. How did all of your backs fare this past season? How many times do I have to read “Denver had to cut Jake anyway, just wait and pick him up for nothing”. Are you kidding me? Jake can start for 12-15 teams in this league… like him or not. He could start for Buffalo, Miami, New York Jets, Cleveland, Houston, Jacksonville, Oakland, K.C., Washington, Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota, and maybe Carolina and Tampa Bay. He would be an upgrade to every one of those teams. Do you really think Shanahan is going to just ‘cut’ Jake and get nothing for him. And since when is the Q.B. of an NFL football team not an impact player? It’s the most important position in all of professional sports. Houston would get 2 definite starters, and a sure started with the 21st pick, and Denver would get what, 1 starter that is suppose to have more of an impact since he’s taken 8th. Denver will not do that deal. You don’t give away starting qb’s in this league and that’s what Jake will be. I see Jake and one of our backs going to Washington with a pick, and Clinton Portis coming back to Denver. Joe Gibbs is in dire need of 10 wins and that would provide just that. Houston can fight there own battles… I just can’t believe the ignorance of fans thinking that a team handing you a starting qb and running back isn’t something you’re interested in. Good luck with that!

Sorry, I didn’t proof read my comment. There were 2 typos. I apologize to anyone that feels they need to comment on them. I meant “Denver ‘has’ to cut Jake anyway” and “Houston can fight their own battles”

Shanahan is done with free agency. It’s smarter to trade for the players you want. Then you’re not limited on who you target. As we speak, Shanahan could be working up a deal to bring Portis back to Denver, and nobody else in the league is even looking at Portis because he’s not a free agent. I like it!

just keep carr. he was better this year than last. plummer ain’t much better if any at all. carr has never had an offensive line and has improved in just one season with kubiak. how will plummer deal with no offensive line. case closed, keep carr. it is safe and we only pay him one more year.